Wellington, March 26 (IANS) New Zealand wrapped up a 4-1 series win against Pakistan after securing an eight-wicket win in the fifth and final T20I here at Sky Stadium on Wednesday.
Riding on Jimmy Neesham’s five-wicket haul, New Zealand restricted Pakistan to 128-9. In reply, Tim Seifert smashed an unbeaten 97 off 38 as New Zealand needed just ten overs to chase down the target.
Winning the toss and opting to field first, New Zealand’s bowlers immediately put Pakistan under pressure. Will O’Rourke and Jacob Duffy struck early, reducing the visitors to 24/3 within the powerplay. Pakistan’s innings never gained momentum, with Neesham wreaking havoc in the middle overs as his spell saw Pakistan slump to 52 for 5 at the halfway mark.
Then, skipper Salman Agha and Shadab Khan stitched together a 54-run partnership in 35 balls before Pakistan lost their last five wickets for just 22 runs, finishing on a modest 128.
Chasing 129, New Zealand’s opening duo, Finn Allen (27) and Seifert, were once again all guns blazing and propelled the hosts to their highest-ever powerplay total in T20I history at 92/1.
Sufiyan Muqeem soon after removed Allen and Mark Chapman. But, Seifert, who was also adjudged Player of the Series, took Pakistan’s bowlers apart, finishing the match by smashing four sixes off Shadab Khan’s final over, including three in a row to wrap up the match and the series.
“There was only one way to play. I wanted to play the way I wanted to play. The wickets were bouncy. Tonight, few shots got me away. You look at the match ups. Finn helped. We have played together. He is a great mate. It is great fun with him. Couple of weeks with the family and then off to the PSL. Few of these players would be my mates there,” said Seifert.
Brief scores: Pakistan 128/9 in 20 overs (Salman Agha 51, Shadab Khan 28; James Neesham 5-22) lost to New Zealand 131/2 in 10 overs (Tim Seifert 97, Tim Seifert 27; Sufiyan Muqeem 2-6) by eight wickets
–IANS
hs/bc
